Are
You Getting Enough ZZZZ’s ?
“A
well-spent day brings happy sleep.” – Leonardo da Vinci
The
most common answer to the question, “How are you today?” used to
be ”fine”
but
more often than not, the answer you get now (even before
COVID-19) is “tired”!
There
are many reasons why people feel tired all the time; poor diet, not
enough exercise, dehydration, stress, not enough fresh air and
sunlight, and of course not enough sleep. This could be from
staying up too late and that is easily remedied by having a routine
bedtime and sticking to it consistently. However, many people
have problems going to sleep once they get in the bed and that can be
a much harder problem to solve.
Well
into my 50’s I was a good sleeper, out like a light as soon as my
head hit the pillow most nights. I thought that people who said
you need less sleep when you get older were kidding. In a way
they were because research demonstrates that our sleep needs remain
constant throughout adulthood but changes in the patterns of our
sleep – what specialists call "sleep architecture" -
occur as we age and this may contribute to sleep problems. Older
people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep
sleep and so even if they get their normal amount of sleep they may
not feel rested when they wake up. When I started not sleeping well
about 5 years ago I had to do a lot of experimenting to find the
things that I could do to help me get a better night’s sleep. Here
are some things I found that can help you prepare yourself for sleep:
Get
some sunshine or bright light every day
Get
some exercise everyday but not close to bedtime
Limit
screens (blue light) a couple of hours before your bedtime
Relax
and clear your mind in the evening (breathe and meditate)
Keep
your bedroom cool
Have
a comfortable mattress and pillow
Don’t
take naps during the day
Take
a relaxing shower or bath before bed
Limit
caffeine late in the day
Try
to sleep and wake at consistent times
Why
would you want to go to these lengths and more to improve your sleep,
besides being able to say “I’m fine” instead of “I’m tired”
when friends ask you “how are you today”? In addition to
nutrition and exercise, sleep is one of the pillars of good health.
Studies have found that poor sleep is linked to weight gain and
pre-diabetes, increased inflammation in the body particularly in the
digestive tract with a direct link to inflammatory bowel disease.
Poor sleep is also linked to depression and higher risk for heart
attacks and strokes. Being tired may also reduce your social skills
and ability to recognize other people’s emotional expressions. In
other words we become two year olds who haven’t had their naps!
Getting
enough sleep has positive benefits. It contributes to brain
function including cognition, concentration, productivity, and
performance. Those who get adequate sleep tend to eat fewer calories
than those who don’t and getting at least 8 hours of sleep can
improve your immune function. Being well rested is also
important if you want to maintain positive relationships with family,
friends and co-workers.
So
if you are tired more than you think you should be, it’s important
to your overall health to try to figure out what is going on and find
some habits, routines or strategies that will improve your sleep. You
may even want to discuss it with your health care professional to
rule out anything serious.
